There are plenty of reasons to go for a walk. Walking for just 30 minutes a day can improve your overall health. Some of the benefits include increasing your heart and lung fitness, reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke, managing conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, joint and muscular pain or stiffness, and diabetes. As well as strengthening your bones, improving your balance, increasing your muscle strength and endurance, all while reducing body fat. You probably already know all the physical health benefits, and you can probably guess what the mental health benefits might be. When you get outside and feel good in your body, you release stress and free your mind from everyday anxieties. But did you know that intuitive walking can take it a step (pun intended!) further?
Intuitive, mindful walking is a way to reconnect with the part of your mind that often goes unconscious. Why is this important? Well your unconscious mind is driving your actions, whether you’re aware of it or not. Perhaps you’re working through a challenging time in your life and you need some answers. Or maybe you have a new job opportunity and you don’t know if you should go for it. Maybe you’re just feeling a sense of sadness or malaise, and you want to know how to enliven yourself again. Intuitive, mindful walks can help with all of this.
When our founders, sisters Renee and Tiffany Tam, created their modern maxi kimono robes, they wanted to bring more than just beauty to life. They wanted to bring tradition, ritual, meaning, symbolism, and calm into the lives of everyone who slips into one of these luxury silk robes. Their mission has always been to empower the modern woman, and make sure she knows that she matters. So in today’s journal, we’ll share what intuitive walking looks like, and how to use it to bring more clarity, calm, and compassion into your everyday life.
Intuitive walking is very much what it sounds like. Some people refer to it as simply following your gut on which way to turn as you meander through town or nature. Some people refer to it as a casual way to get in tune with your thoughts. For our purposes, we think of intuitive walking as a sort of combination of the two. On intuitive walks, you initiate the walk by making a ritual out of beginning and ending the walk, looking at the world as if it has signs and symbols to offer you, interpreting those symbols in a way that gives you clarity within your own life. We’ve always said that you can wear your luxury silk robe out on the town or lounging at home, and wearing it on an intuitive walk is one way to blend your physical sensations with your mental revelations.
One important factor of your intuitive walk is creating a ritual around it. It can be very simple, and it doesn’t need to be complicated or elaborate. You simply need to create a boundary, or a threshold. Know when you begin and know when you end the experience. For instance, maybe the boundary is as soon as you step outside of your house. Or perhaps the boundary is when you turn left onto that one street down the block. Maybe the boundary is created when you slip into your Azumi Kimono Wrap and when you slip it off and hang it on a hanger is when you cross back over that threshold. Creating the boundary lets your awareness know when the adventure begins and ends, and it frees up your mind to listen to your intuition.
If you’ve read any of our journal articles before, then you know we’re big on intentionality! The more intention you set at the beginning of your intuitive walk, the more you’re going to get out of it. You can even make a ritual or tradition out of setting your intention for your walk. Drape your favorite Haruka or Azumi Kimono Wrap around your shoulders and grab your favorite journal. List out the questions you want to explore on your walk. Perhaps you’re wondering about a relationship, or you have a question about a creative project. Maybe you’re just wondering what a dream means or where you should put your focus for the end of the year. List out all the questions you have and consider them before you go.
And now, the fun part — the walk! Once you have created your boundary and set your intention, it’s time to head out on your intuitive walk and connect with your answers. On an intuitive walk, your answers will appear when you allow your mind to quiet down. Let yourself look at nature, absorb the present moment, and stay open. If you’re wearing your silky plus size kimono robe, allow yourself to really feel the softness of the silk. If you’re wearing a maxi kimono robe, allow your body to sway with the flow of the long drape. Take some deep breaths. Find yourself gazing toward nature. All of these things can bring you into the present moment and allow you to receive intuitive hits about the intentions and questions you set out with. You may be thinking about one of your questions and a car drives by playing a song whose lyrics give you an answer. You may look up into a tree and see a cardinal, which might hold symbolic meaning for you. Once you finish your walk, come home and write down a reflection of the walk. You can even call a friend and tell them what you discovered, allow them to reflect it back to you, and see what intuitive guidance you can receive when filtered through a friend.
While there are plenty of things you can do to find answers, intuitive walks are perhaps the most interesting and beneficial. Not only will they improve your physical health, but they give you a glimpse of your own intuitive nature. They are affirmation that you are indeed everything you need.
